Composition of matter and method of making



Patented 14, 1939 Albert Henry Bowen and Theodore Williams Dike, Seattle, Wash assignors to I. F. Laucks,

Inc., Seattle, Wash, a corporation of Wash No Drawing. Application August 7, 1935,

Serial No. 35,220

s Claims (Cl. zoo-a) The present invention relates to a class of new compounds of a thermo-setting resinous character resulting from combination betweenainc chloride, a ureaand formaldehyde, and to prodesses for making and using them, this application being a continuation-in-part of our application Serial No. 728,679, filed June 2, 1934, as a continuation-in-part of our application Serial No. 666,930, filed April 19, 1933, now issued as Patent No. 1,992,180, in which thereis claimed the process and product making possible a clear stable liquid with a large combined zinc chloride content, i. e., 6% and above in relation to the urea content. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features thereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illus- 20 trative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed. As materials we may use;,:-zinc chloride either 25 fused or hydrated, urea either agricultural or refined as well as other'ureas'such as thiourea, and formaldehyde either as commercial 37% solution, i. e., formalin or equivalent polymerized forms. Commercial chemicals are usually satis- 30' factory and only inspecial cases is it necessary to use purified materials. The reactions are car.- ried out in aqueous solution as when commercial formalin is used toprovide the formaldehyde.

' Under certain circumstance'swe may use addi- 35 tional modifyingagents which may or may not enter into combination with the other elements. The syrupy liquidinitial reaction products have certain characteristics. .They are resinous and thermo-settlng and may also be converted or hardened by rendering them more acid when in solution or suspension in a liquid medium They are non-alkaline, having generally an acidity of between pH 4.0 and pH 6.0. Their stability generally varies more or less directly with the pH 45 on the principle that-the greater .the hydrogen ion concentration the. less the stability. As is to be expected due to the greater chemical activity in a. liquid medium, the liquors are far less stable than the solid forms. Liquid products having a so low content of zinc chloride, however,'-can be madeof, great stability-in accordance with this invention." The liquors in a reasonablypure state are colorless and stainless and compatible with both water soluble plasticizers such as the 55 glycols and with acidsoluble dyes of low or moderate acidity. As compared to either ureaformaldehyde or phenol-formaldehyde resins, these zinc. chloride-urea-formaldehyde resins have theimportant advantage of being much faster setting and in most cases set in from one 5 half to one-eighth the time with the same heat treatment. As compared to the corresponding urea-formaldehyde resins, all the various zinc chloride-urea formaldehyde resins have very superior adhesive properties, which. combined 10 with their greater speed of conversion makes them useful in a variety of commercial fields.

The converted zinc chloride-urea-formaldehyde resins are'fast to light, infusible, insoluble in cold water, and much stronger than wood. When made with thiourea in place of part of the urea or with sulphur combined in the resin.

molecule by other convenient means, additional values in various properties are obtained. The converted product also has" remarkable resistance to abrasion either underdry or wet conditions. This feature is of greatvalue in some applications, particularly in connection with paints and paper sizing. It appears to be due to the combined zinc chloride and increases in direct proportion to the zinc-chloride content of the resin up to the upper limit of combination.

A great variety of liquors may be made with wide variation in zinc chloride content and ureaformaldehyde ratio. 'By the methods of the prescut invention the zinc chloridecontent may be lowered all the way to 1% of the urea and a very stable, clear li'quor produced. This ability to make liquors with low ratiosv of zinc chloride is an advance over the methods disclosed in our application Serial No. 666,930, new issued as Pat- -ent No. 1,992,180 wherein we made the statemen-t, page 2 of the patent,-co1umn 1, lines 73-75, and column 2, lines 1-4, If the 50% ratio. of zincchloride to urea is reduced to 25% the time re- 40 quired to complete the reaction at a given temperature is more than doubled. At a 6% ratio methods of the present disclosure. In general we find that as the zinc chloride content is reduced a progressive necessity arises for counteractingthe it with the great advantage of maintaining a high into the cooker.

proportions.

influence of the acidityoriginally present in or subsequently developed from the formalin during the reaction, together with a parallel necessity for increasing the duration and/or intensity of the heat treatment. This we accomplish by the various procedures below set forth. In other words, the greater the reduction of zinc chloride below 6 parts, the greater becomes the need of counteracting acidity.

\ We find, that by decreasing the proportion of f ureato formalin the stability with low zinc chloglucose,- dextrose and the like may be used in place of the sucrose. starches may also be substituted as well as agar andgumarabic, also glycerin and glycols. In general, we find that in the formula a substitution of up to 15% of the urea withthese substances is permissible without detriment to the product when used as an adhesive. These materials appear to combine chemically with the product for they no longer respond to the usual tests. All of them have plasticizing effects in greater or less degree. In many cases this substitution actually causes a further increase in stability without imparting any objectionable characteristics to the final'product and solid content. In many cases we prefer to use glucose which due to its low cost efiects an important economy. By following these general methods clear, stable liquors of great usefulness may be readily made which could not be made 'by the method of Application Serial No. 666,930,

stirring mechanism started, the reflux condenser put in operation and the mixture rapidly brought to a boil by running steam through the coils of the agitator. The material is boiled under the reflux for about four hours, then cooled rapidly to 70 and run out into containers.

The product is a clear liquor of moderate viscosity and complete solubility in cold water in all The zinc chloride content is 2 in relation to the urea. A similar liquor of somewhat less stability and lower solid content may be made with the sugar omitted. Any of the other materials listed above as substitutes for sugar may also be used. If the step of partly neutralizing the formalin is omitted a persistent precipitate appears which is heavy and settles out of the product. The water solubility of the product and its stability are both adversely affected.

320 pounds of agricultural urea. and pounds of glucose are then added, the

Instead of the standard formalin containing about 10% of methyl alcohol as a stabilizer and with a pH of around 3.0, formalin stabilized with 6% of urea and with only about 0.5% of methanol content may be used. This formalin already has very low acidity with a pH of about 6.0 and in that case the neutralization is not required but of course a corresponding reduction is made in the amount of urea to be added.

This liquor will keep for a number of months. It may be spray-dried to produce a completely or partly water soluble powder. This liquor is valuable for impregnating, sizing, and similar uses either in the original form or in the form of the more convenient and stable powder.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed instead of these herein explained, change being made as regards the details disclosed, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention:

1. A process of forming substantially clear stable liquid condensation products which comprises reacting zinc chloride; urea and formalin, the zinc chloride being present in amount below six parts thereof to each one hundred parts of urea, and counteracting'the acidity of the formalin before the reaction in accordance with the extent to which the zinc chloride is present below six parts thereof to each one hundred parts of urea.

2. A process of forming substantially clear stable liquid condensation products .which comprises reacting zinc chloride, urea and formalin, the zinc chloride being present in amount below six parts thereof to each one hundred parts of urea, and counteracting the acidity of the formalin during the reaction in accordance with the extent to which the zinc chloride is present below six parts thereof to each one hundred parts of urea by including in the formalin initially urea in amount sumcient to increase the pH to about 3. A process of forming substantially clear I the formalin to an extent suflicient to compensate for the deficiency of zinc chloride content below six parts thereof to each one hundred parts of urea.

4. A process of forming substantially clear stable liquid condensation products which comprisesreacting zinc chloride, urea and formalin. the zinc chloride being present in amount below six parts thereof to each one hundred parts of urea, the formalin having initially a pH adjusted in accordance with the ratio of zinc chloride content to the urea content.

5. A process of forming substantially clear stable liquid condensation products which comprises reacting ,zinc chloride, urea and formalin, the zinc chloride being present in amount below six parts thereof to each one hundred parts of urea, and counteracting the acidity in accordance with the extent to which the zinc chloride is present below six parts thereof to each one hundred parts of urea by including a -carbohydrate selected from a group consisting of glucose, dexhose and sucrose in the ratio of the order of sub- 2,150,147 p v -3 of zinc chloride wit each one Hundred parts of urea, and formalin, the acidityvoriginally present in or subsequently developed cluring the reaction stantlally one part thereof to substantially four parts urea when theurea'is present in an amount slightly less than one part to each three parts of formalin.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a substantially .clear stable liquid condensation product comprising the reaction product of below six parts being substantially counteracted.

ALBERT HENRY BowEN. THEODORE WILLIAMS DIKE. 

